The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything - Robyn Schneider, Robyn Schneider

I had really high hopes for this book. I can’t exactly pinpoint exactly what it was that made me think this was going to be really awesome. It could be the cover, which I try not to fall for, or the comparison to John Green. Whatever it was, I was really looking forward to The Beginning of Everything. Unfortunately it wasn’t all I had hoped it would be.

First, something about it made me think that it’s going to be super funny. It was, just not as funny as I thought it would be. Ezra had jokes, he was witty and he had a sarcasticness to him that I liked but it didn’t make the book less tedious, and it was tedious. I felt like the writing was all about trying to be smart, but what it ended up being was a little bit boring.

Also, while I did like Ezra and thought he was funny, I did not like Cassidy at all. Here’s the thing, she was a bitch. Yes, very clearly she had a secret. Something happened to her, and you can tell she’s haunted by it. Whatever. It doesn’t change the fact that she wasn’t a very good person. Even before she switches to Ezra’s school, back when Toby knew her as a girl at the debate competitions, she was described as flighty and that she was known for breaking hearts. Then, multiple times throughout the book, she just really grated on my nerves. Honestly, I just didn’t get it because while Ezra was maybe a little shallow, he was obviously nice. He didn’t hold grudges, he knew when he was being a dick and he’d apologize for it. He deserved someone nice too, and if I had written The Beginning of Everything I know who I would have picked.

What I did love, and why I gave this a C+, was Toby. He was such a good friend. It didn’t matter what had happened in the past. He didn’t harbor any deep seated anger, although anyone would understand if he did. He was just there, to help Ezra after his tragedy, as though they had always remained best friends. I would have loved if the author had focused on the friendship in the book, rather than a contrived romance. There was so much untapped story there, and one that deserved more time.

I’d read a book that focused on Ezra and Toby.

 

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